Thursday, June 28, 2007

Concussions, the danger in Martial Arts is real

Pat Parker just posted on his recent concussion, and smartly realized it was a concussion. He acted accordingly. He was definitely blessed that it wasn't more serious. I've recently posted about a personal friend who received an injury in a similar manner, eerily so, but he wasn't so fortunate, and received permanent disability as a result.

Martial artists, striking stylists in particular, are in constant danger of brain injury, but those in grappling arts are just as vulnerable. It may occur at any time, and may not be recognized right away, and that can be dangerous, as Pat writes, with his usual clarity, "Repeated concussions, even mild ones, have been known to cause impairment disproportional to the apparent severity of the trauma. Children are particularly succeptible to sudden death from second or third concussions."

The signs and symptoms of a concussion can be subtle and may not appear immediately. Symptoms can last for days, weeks or longer.

The two most common concussion symptoms are confusion and amnesia. The amnesia, which may or may not be preceded by a loss of consciousness, almost always involves the loss of memory of the impact that caused the concussion.

Other immediate signs and symptoms of a concussion may include:

Headache

Dizziness

Ringing in the ears

Nausea or vomiting

Slurred speech

Some symptoms of concussions don't appear until hours or days later. They include:

Mood and cognitive disturbances

Sensitivity to light and noise

Sleep disturbances

Head trauma is very common in young children. But concussions can be difficult to recognize in infants and toddlers because they can't readily communicate how they feel. Nonverbal clues of a concussion may include: